Crackheads on eBay

APFelon · 16 January 2003, 19:45

I don't know how some of you people tolerate some of the absurd things that go up on eBay without subjecting the seller to absolute ridicule. Take this for instance:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=3544

This guy has a starting bid for an Amiga CD32 for... 200$!! Buy it now for 250$!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4598

Final Writer 4 for the low, low price of... 17.95! Buy it now for 22.50!! with an astounding shipping fee of 7.50!

Christ... Does everyone think that their garbage is worth a fortune on eBay?

Twistin'Ghost · 16 January 2003, 19:55

The problem is that people are doing ebay for their means of income now. So the word hyperbole is now household and every thrift store is a depot warehouse. Instead of Goodwill stores providing the poor with affordable items, they are infested by greedy middle class white people out to get rich on ebay selling retro goodies. (sigh)

thinlega · 16 January 2003, 20:06

Quote:

Originally posted by APFelon
with an astounding shipping fee of 7.50!

one think that I hate is inflated postage

I have numerous times paid double the ammout the postage actuallly cost......

jmmijo · 16 January 2003, 21:03

Quote:

Originally posted by thinlega
one think that I hate is inflated postage I have numerous times paid double the ammout the postage actuallly cost......

That's the so-called handling fee

DPainter · 17 January 2003, 00:43

On the opposite side of the coin, I recently listed a mint/shrinkwrapped "Commdore 64 Cassette Bonus Pack" on eBay with no minimum price and sold it for US$0.01. Imagine how stupid I felt wrapping that thing up and walking to the post office to ship it.

But then my Masterpieces of Infocom CD (with box) sold for US$72 so you win some, you lose some.

jmmijo · 17 January 2003, 00:49

Yes, you're correct there Dpainter, the problem is that everything related to Retro Gaming seems to be RARE or Ultra RARE anymore. this is really rediculous as nothing is considered that rare

DPainter · 17 January 2003, 01:05

Quote:

Originally posted by jmmijo
Yes, you're correct there Dpainter, the problem is that everything related to Retro Gaming seems to be RARE or Ultra RARE anymore. this is really rediculous as nothing is considered that rare

I agree with that. Even in the local papers here, people are offering Commodore 64s with no accessories for $100.

Maybe next time when I list an item I will borrow from the infomercial marketing morons and hysterical eBay ring announcers:

Quote:

RARE, HARD-TO-FIND CLASSIC COMMODORE 64 HOME COMPUTER SYSTEM!!!!!!!!!!!! Folks, this is your chance to own a valuable piece of American history. Buy one for your children. I'm setting a reserve of $100 on this, which is far less than its original cost!!!!!!!!

Unknown_K · 17 January 2003, 05:02

Hey I see people in the paper trying to sell old used PC's worth maybe $100 for $500, they wont sell. Alot of the mint unused inbox A1200's that are listed for $500 buy it now never sell, or sell to 0 feedback people who never pay. The more you see "RARE" in a description the more you should stay away from the auction. And I do see alot of fake/ripoff items there sold as prototypes that somebody ends up paying alot for (fake apple IIgs in apple II boxes etc).

The thing with EBAY is one persons junk is another persons hobby.. if you list junk long enough somebody WILL buy it. You do need to do some research before you bid on the first thing in front of you.

I always check what shipping/handling is before I even read the full details.. I wont bid on anything if they gouge on handling. Back when I was looking for an old 386 retro gaming rig I noticed alot of people selling junk pc's with opening bids for $1 but jacking the handling charges up like crazy, I wonder how many people purchased an item without looking at the hidden charges.

Rare could also mean rare in your area, it takes alot of money/time to run around trying to find a missing game/part for your retro system and ebay fits the bill for this.

Check out the non forsale product specific newsgroups, people sell stuff you need for next to nothing (or just for postage) just because your in the same hobby they are.

jmmijo · 17 January 2003, 16:06

Yes but they never seem to have what I'm looking for at the time

Unknown_K · 17 January 2003, 17:08

Have you ever posted a wanted list on the newsgroups? Use a special email address because it will be spammed from people mining newsgroups for valid email accounts.

Worked for me a few times, and people dont rip you on postage most of the time. I was getting a few responces a day for a week when I posted about wanting an ISA video card and other stuff. there are always a few jokers who try to sell stuff 2-3x what others sell it for. I ended up getting all of my amiga manuals for cheap from newsgroup people.

P-J · 18 January 2003, 17:26

It's a problem. Systems like eBay will never work perfectly as long as there are 'crackheads', as it was so eloquently put, out there.

As far as I'm concerned they're trying to fool an avid collector into thinking an item is worth more than it is.

Just feel warm in the fact that these psychos end up having to foot the insertion and 'buy it now' fees after they don't sell.

19 January 2003, 17:37

This idiot is trying to sell an a500 for 100$, have a look! :
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4598

This is worse, a2000 keyboards for 75$? And what an aggressive attitude!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4598

Quote:

We have Amiga dealers BEGGING us to sell these NEW keyboards them. These are IMPOSSIBLE to find in NEW condition. Once our warehouse is sold out these are GONE FOREVER! You WON'T be able to obtain these keyboards any more.

This is another, it is claimed to work on a2000,3000 and 4000s, is it possible?:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4706

Just the keyboards can't worth that much can they? I'd rather get a ps2 adapter!

Unknown_K · 19 January 2003, 20:03

The only keyboards that cost $75 that I know of are the Northgate OmniKey series (long out of production) that work on the IBM PC, Amiga's , and other systems. You can remap the keys and rearrange them. I have one on my desk that I use on my PS2 KVM (nice old IBM type feel).

I dont think the $100 500 will sell, but you never know.

Alot of ebay auctions are bid up by fake user accounts, you see stuff sell at crazy prices only to be relisted days later. This way people who dont know better use older auction completed prices and bid accordingly on new auctions making some lucky seller happy. I say know what your buying including model number information, options, conditions, auction fine print before you think about bidding on something. then and only then do you decide the maximum you will pay for the item. Some type of stuff is put up for auction all the time, if you dont get a good deal today check back tomorrow. People who get caught up in the "got to have it now its rare and nobody is going to outbid me" are the ones paying outrageous amounts of money, or just have so much money that it doesnt matter what they pay for an item. A true collector will keep looking and find what he wants in good condition and at a good price.

To sum it up if you dont like the price dont bid on it. When people dont buy items at inflated prices they WILL come down. Alot of the prices paid for actual "rare" computer equipment has dropped quite a bit since the stock market and US economy took a dump in the last year or 2. People who dont have jobs are/will be selling thier equipment to pay the bills and when you see multiple rare items at auction on the same day the price will drop. I am hoping to pick up a A1200 by this method (not that its rare just overpriced).

adolescent · 20 January 2003, 07:57

It's not for us to tolerate or not. If you don't like the price on an auction, simply don't bid. It's the easiest way to get the prices reduced.

Also, ~$17 for Final Writer is a decent price for a good WP. The manual alone probably weighs 5 lbs so the shipping isn't so absurd either.

APFelon · 20 January 2003, 08:14

I said tolerate without subjecting the user to ridicule. I wasn't calling for a lynch mob, I was encouraging people to focus ire on this forum and elsewhere.

No need to make this so complicated...

APFelon · 27 January 2003, 06:15

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4706

May as well hire a team of elves to telepathicly link to your Amiga for that price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4598

Can get a first printing of "Moby Dick" for just a few more dollars than that...

Twistin'Ghost · 27 January 2003, 09:41

LOL! I haven't been doing my weekly ebay.com Amiga searches like I used to over the past couple of months (ebay.de is so much more interesting), but this week I checked the US/English auctions...where did all of these US sellers come from all of a sudden out of nowhere?!? And with their ridiculous hyperbole and high prices!

That auction of books is the one of the stupidest things I've seen in ages. I had boxes of those books and others like them and could not GIVE the damn things away (even on ebay!) It seems every American wants to sell stuff on ebay instead of working a real job. One thing I learned during my ebay selling days is that if you start auctions at a dollar, it gets people to start the bidding. If you jack the price up, people pass your auctions over. I'm sick of seeing generic Amiga games starting at $10-15 (and higher) - some don't even have boxes and/or manuals, yet the sellers think L@@K, W@W and RARE!!!!!! in the description makes up for it. Personally, I'd rather pay overseas shipping than feed the bears...

Unknown_K · 27 January 2003, 15:47

Amiga SCSI A500 HD+ GVP Controller
Item # 2302520375

I wanted that one, but it went for $61 with NO HD, AS IS and $15 Shipping/Handling

Getting a HD for an A500 with memory in the US for under $50 is impossible, most go for alot more.

DrBong · 29 January 2003, 04:03

Quote:

Originally posted by Unknown_K
Getting a HD for an A500 with memory in the US for under $50 is impossible, most go for alot more.

It's not a wonder if you're only looking on Ebay.

Often more realistic prices can be found for Ami gear on the newsgroup, comp.sys.amiga.marketplace.

Unknown_K · 29 January 2003, 04:23

I tried there, nothing came up

16 January 2003, 19:45	#1
APFelon Cable Buyer Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Big Lake, USA Age: 52 Posts: 123	Crackheads on eBay I don't know how some of you people tolerate some of the absurd things that go up on eBay without subjecting the seller to absolute ridicule. Take this for instance: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=3544 This guy has a starting bid for an Amiga CD32 for... 200$!! Buy it now for 250$!! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4598 Final Writer 4 for the low, low price of... 17.95! Buy it now for 22.50!! with an astounding shipping fee of 7.50! Christ... Does everyone think that their garbage is worth a fortune on eBay?

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16 January 2003, 19:55	#2
Twistin'Ghost Give up the ghost Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: U$A Age: 33 Posts: 4,662	The problem is that people are doing ebay for their means of income now. So the word hyperbole is now household and every thrift store is a depot warehouse. Instead of Goodwill stores providing the poor with affordable items, they are infested by greedy middle class white people out to get rich on ebay selling retro goodies. (sigh)

17 January 2003, 00:43	#5
DPainter Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Montana, USA Posts: 342	On the opposite side of the coin, I recently listed a mint/shrinkwrapped "Commdore 64 Cassette Bonus Pack" on eBay with no minimum price and sold it for US$0.01. Imagine how stupid I felt wrapping that thing up and walking to the post office to ship it. But then my Masterpieces of Infocom CD (with box) sold for US$72 so you win some, you lose some.

17 January 2003, 00:49	#6
jmmijo Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: PDX Age: 62 Posts: 2,395	Yes, you're correct there Dpainter, the problem is that everything related to Retro Gaming seems to be RARE or Ultra RARE anymore. this is really rediculous as nothing is considered that rare

17 January 2003, 05:02	#8
Unknown_K Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio/USA Age: 55 Posts: 1,380	Hey I see people in the paper trying to sell old used PC's worth maybe $100 for $500, they wont sell. Alot of the mint unused inbox A1200's that are listed for $500 buy it now never sell, or sell to 0 feedback people who never pay. The more you see "RARE" in a description the more you should stay away from the auction. And I do see alot of fake/ripoff items there sold as prototypes that somebody ends up paying alot for (fake apple IIgs in apple II boxes etc). The thing with EBAY is one persons junk is another persons hobby.. if you list junk long enough somebody WILL buy it. You do need to do some research before you bid on the first thing in front of you. I always check what shipping/handling is before I even read the full details.. I wont bid on anything if they gouge on handling. Back when I was looking for an old 386 retro gaming rig I noticed alot of people selling junk pc's with opening bids for $1 but jacking the handling charges up like crazy, I wonder how many people purchased an item without looking at the hidden charges. Rare could also mean rare in your area, it takes alot of money/time to run around trying to find a missing game/part for your retro system and ebay fits the bill for this. Check out the non forsale product specific newsgroups, people sell stuff you need for next to nothing (or just for postage) just because your in the same hobby they are.

17 January 2003, 16:06	#9
jmmijo Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: PDX Age: 62 Posts: 2,395	Yes but they never seem to have what I'm looking for at the time

17 January 2003, 17:08	#10
Unknown_K Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio/USA Age: 55 Posts: 1,380	Have you ever posted a wanted list on the newsgroups? Use a special email address because it will be spammed from people mining newsgroups for valid email accounts. Worked for me a few times, and people dont rip you on postage most of the time. I was getting a few responces a day for a week when I posted about wanting an ISA video card and other stuff. there are always a few jokers who try to sell stuff 2-3x what others sell it for. I ended up getting all of my amiga manuals for cheap from newsgroup people.

18 January 2003, 17:26	#11
P-J Registered User Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Moorpark, California Age: 44 Posts: 1,153	It's a problem. Systems like eBay will never work perfectly as long as there are 'crackheads', as it was so eloquently put, out there. As far as I'm concerned they're trying to fool an avid collector into thinking an item is worth more than it is. Just feel warm in the fact that these psychos end up having to foot the insertion and 'buy it now' fees after they don't sell.

19 January 2003, 20:03	#13
Unknown_K Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio/USA Age: 55 Posts: 1,380	The only keyboards that cost $75 that I know of are the Northgate OmniKey series (long out of production) that work on the IBM PC, Amiga's , and other systems. You can remap the keys and rearrange them. I have one on my desk that I use on my PS2 KVM (nice old IBM type feel). I dont think the $100 500 will sell, but you never know. Alot of ebay auctions are bid up by fake user accounts, you see stuff sell at crazy prices only to be relisted days later. This way people who dont know better use older auction completed prices and bid accordingly on new auctions making some lucky seller happy. I say know what your buying including model number information, options, conditions, auction fine print before you think about bidding on something. then and only then do you decide the maximum you will pay for the item. Some type of stuff is put up for auction all the time, if you dont get a good deal today check back tomorrow. People who get caught up in the "got to have it now its rare and nobody is going to outbid me" are the ones paying outrageous amounts of money, or just have so much money that it doesnt matter what they pay for an item. A true collector will keep looking and find what he wants in good condition and at a good price. To sum it up if you dont like the price dont bid on it. When people dont buy items at inflated prices they WILL come down. Alot of the prices paid for actual "rare" computer equipment has dropped quite a bit since the stock market and US economy took a dump in the last year or 2. People who dont have jobs are/will be selling thier equipment to pay the bills and when you see multiple rare items at auction on the same day the price will drop. I am hoping to pick up a A1200 by this method (not that its rare just overpriced).

20 January 2003, 07:57	#14
adolescent Powered by Motorola Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Age: 52 Posts: 1,065	It's not for us to tolerate or not. If you don't like the price on an auction, simply don't bid. It's the easiest way to get the prices reduced. Also, ~$17 for Final Writer is a decent price for a good WP. The manual alone probably weighs 5 lbs so the shipping isn't so absurd either.

20 January 2003, 08:14	#15
APFelon Cable Buyer Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Big Lake, USA Age: 52 Posts: 123	I said tolerate without subjecting the user to ridicule. I wasn't calling for a lynch mob, I was encouraging people to focus ire on this forum and elsewhere. No need to make this so complicated...

27 January 2003, 06:15	#16
APFelon Cable Buyer Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Big Lake, USA Age: 52 Posts: 123	http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4706 May as well hire a team of elves to telepathicly link to your Amiga for that price. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4598 Can get a first printing of "Moby Dick" for just a few more dollars than that...

27 January 2003, 09:41	#17
Twistin'Ghost Give up the ghost Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: U$A Age: 33 Posts: 4,662	LOL! I haven't been doing my weekly ebay.com Amiga searches like I used to over the past couple of months (ebay.de is so much more interesting), but this week I checked the US/English auctions...where did all of these US sellers come from all of a sudden out of nowhere?!? And with their ridiculous hyperbole and high prices! That auction of books is the one of the stupidest things I've seen in ages. I had boxes of those books and others like them and could not GIVE the damn things away (even on ebay!) It seems every American wants to sell stuff on ebay instead of working a real job. One thing I learned during my ebay selling days is that if you start auctions at a dollar, it gets people to start the bidding. If you jack the price up, people pass your auctions over. I'm sick of seeing generic Amiga games starting at $10-15 (and higher) - some don't even have boxes and/or manuals, yet the sellers think L@@K, W@W and RARE!!!!!! in the description makes up for it. Personally, I'd rather pay overseas shipping than feed the bears...

27 January 2003, 15:47	#18
Unknown_K Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio/USA Age: 55 Posts: 1,380	Amiga SCSI A500 HD+ GVP Controller Item # 2302520375 I wanted that one, but it went for $61 with NO HD, AS IS and $15 Shipping/Handling Getting a HD for an A500 with memory in the US for under $50 is impossible, most go for alot more.

29 January 2003, 04:23	#20
Unknown_K Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio/USA Age: 55 Posts: 1,380	I tried there, nothing came up

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